Alex Rawnsley's inside look at the BCHL's Powell River Kings

Game Day: Kings vs Capitals (7:30pm Faceoff)

Not much to really say from a 5-2 loss last night. The Kings got a good start and scored early but after that the team just fell flat. It was another game that really lacked anything through the final 40 minutes, certainly anything to get the home town crowd (and a big home town crowd) into a hockey game. In the 2nd, the Kings just looked to be standing still and showed very little interest or hussle to stick with Coquitlam.

There was some lift in the 3rd and it was great to see Luke McCaw get rewarded for some good play over the last little while, and with his 3rd of the season gave the Kings a boost and a chance to push for an equalizer, but an ugly one from the corner then an empty netter sealed a 5-2 result. It leads us to tonight’s game…

It’s “playoffs”. Obviously not for real, but the schedule for the Kings over the next week sure feels like it. Tonight is game 2 of 6 in a 9-day stretch that sees the team make 2 trips to Vancouver Island for 3 games, and play 3 (including last night) at home. This stretch will do a lot to determine a) where the Kings rank for the first round, and b) if this team is ready for a post-season grind with not a lot of rest.

The 2nd periods haven’t been the best for Powell River this year, as evidenced by last night. The Kings have given up 59 2nd period goals this season, almost half the 130 they’ve given up in total. What has been a trend for this club is to score first, get a lead, then sit. It hasn’t often cost them games and points in the standings, but it’s made games a lot closer than perhaps they should be. The Friday game vs Cowichan, a 5-4 win, is an example of that.

Tonight the Kings will dress a near identical lineup. Jonah Imoo draws in for Jeff Smith in net, and Stephen Hiff becomes a game-time decision. The Kings for the 2nd straight night will skate 21 in warm-up and make the call close to puck drop. Hiff did not play last night, his 9th straight game out.

Cowichan got a big two points last night. With a 3-0 lead and things looking comfortable early in the 2nd, the Clippers got within one by 40 minutes and then found an equalizer mid-way through the 3rd period to force overtime. When Myles Powell potted the winner into double overtime, it was a huge sigh of relief as Alberni had picked up a full 2 points, and the Cowichan win means the Capitals stay within 1 of the final playoff spot.

The spot is one the Caps have lost. The Bulldogs for the first time in a long long time now sit in a playoff position. It’s a spot that looked certain to be Cowichan’s, but good play from Alberni, combined with a poor stretch for the Caps mean we have a race on our hands in the Island. The Caps have a game in hand on Alberni, but can’t rely on what’s to come and need to find points anywhere.

I’d expect to see a similar lineup for Cowichan tonight than we saw in Powell River. Robin Gusse in net and Kyle Horsman drawing back in after illness last weekend.

In our pre-game show, we’ll chat with the coaches from both benches, get to your keys to the game, the tale of the tape and stat pack. In the 1st intermission, we’ll chat with Jeremy LeClerc about his goal last night. We’ll also catch up with Kurt Keats about the game and his BCHL Player of the Month honour.

In the 2nd intermission, we’ll chat with Powell River King alumni Ethan Cox who is a 2-time Kelly Cup Champion, which is the ECHL’s top prize. He’s currently in his 2nd year with the Reading Royals.

In the post-game show, Chad van Diemen will join us after 60 to talk about the big Victoria matchup on Sunday.